


Nights Like This

by redandblueskies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Memories, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Lesbian disasters, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Season/Series 08, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24688555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redandblueskies/pseuds/redandblueskies
Summary: Veronica notices Acxa is feeling like an outcast at the Garrison, having been born on another planet (literally) and not having the same experiences as the rest of their friends. Veronica takes it upon herself to help Acxa by taking her to a festival in town as a way of exposing her to life outside of the Garrison.Things take a turn once Veronica starts realizing that this visit to the festival feels more like a date, and wonders how Acxa feels about all of this.
Relationships: Acxa & Keith (Voltron), Acxa/Veronica (Voltron), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance & Veronica (Voltron), MFE Pilots & Voltron Paladins, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 55





	Nights Like This

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! So, let's just ignore how this is post season 8, yet the paladins and MFEs are all still at the Garrison. Them being at the Garrison has nothing to do with the plot, but I just like to think that they're all still attending the Garrison trying to become higher level professional pilots, even after everything that happened in space. Farmer Lance? Not on my watch. 
> 
> Also Adam and Allura are very much alive and the war is over, everything is happy. We're just here enjoying the beautiful romance of Acxa and Veronica. The girls deserve their own story.

If there’s one thing Veronica prides herself on, it’s her observation and people skills. 

Veronica is sitting having lunch with the paladins, those being Pidge, Hunk, Keith, and her brother Lance. James, Nadia, and Acxa are also present at the table. They’re all sitting at a table, Veronica at the end with Lance, Pidge, and James to her right, and Keith in front of her with Acxa, Hunk, and Nadia to Keith’s left. The table was currently having a heated discussion over which childhood TV show was the best.

“Don’t you  _ dare _ breathe in my direction if you don’t think Phineas and Ferb was the best part of childhood television,” Pidge exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at everyone in the table. 

“Oh my god, I loved that show so much!” Nadia bounced in her seat. “I always really wanted to be friends with Phineas and wished he was real.”

Hunk raised his hand before speaking, “Now now, Pidge, saying that it’s the best part of childhood television is an absolute exaggeration.” He slammed his hand down on the table and furrowed his eyebrows, “How can you say that when Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is right there!” Hunk whined. 

Nadia squealed, “I love Blu so much! That’s one of my favorite shows!”

“Now hold on there!” Pidge said, “Phineas and Ferb has a catchy theme song! Foster’s Home can’t even compare!” 

“Pidge is right, buddy,” Lance cut in, “Foster’s Home can’t compare to the best show ever created in the whole universe, which is--”

“Don’t say Spongeb--”

“Spongebob Squarepants, Pidgey.” Lance finished. Everyone at the table groaned and booed in protest. 

“That’s such a stupid show. Not funny at all. 0 stars, do not recommend.” James deadpanned, taking a spoonful of mashed potatoes. 

“How can you say that, James? Spongebob is so funny and quotable!” Nadia laughed. Nadia put on her best Spongebob impression, shouting, “It was his hat, Mr. Krabs!”

“He was number one!!” Nadia and Lance cried out together before collapsing into a fit of laughter. The rest of the table watched in amusement at the two as they went back and forth quoting Spongebob lines, until eventually, Hunk joined into the quoting, while James and Pidge continued to show their disagreement. 

Veronica giggled, “I don’t know off the top of my head what my favorite show would be,” she said, “there’s so many that I can’t just decide like that.” She looked up in thought. 

Keith shrugged, “I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but I really liked Avatar as a kid.” Veronica hummed in agreement. 

“Wait a minute. Did I just hear AVATAR?” Pidge yelled from across the table. “Avatar is amazing! Matt and I used to watch that all the time!” 

“It’s a classic! I always really wanted to be an earth bender for some reason. Toph was so cool, man.” Hunk commented, getting lost in his own reminiscing thoughts. 

“I loved that show too! It’s one of the best ones out there for sure!”

“Nadia, every show is the best show for you.” James pointed out, rolling his eyes. 

Nadia giggled, “I just can’t choose! I loved cartoons as a kid and I've watched everything!” she replied, eyes sparkling. 

“Funny you mention Avatar, Keith. Did you get your emo mannerisms from Zuko?” Lance teased as he dodged a slap to the head from Keith, earning laughs from the other side of the table. 

“Lance, be nice,” Veronica commented, half-serious half not caring and she averted her eyes around the table. Her eyes landed on the quiet girl sitting next to Keith, silently munching on her food. She hasn’t been contributing much to the conversation, Veronica noticed. Everyone has been talking about these childhood memories that everyone can relate to, yet Acxa has been sitting quietly, her eyes downcast and frowning slightly. Veronica decided to give her a nudge to hopefully bring her into the conversation. 

“What about you, Acxa? Did you have a favorite childhood show?” Veronica asked, smiling brightly at Acxa once she looked up and made eye contact. At the mention of the quiet girl’s name, everyone turned to look at her, waiting to see how she responds. 

Acxa looked down at her tray before replying, “As a child, I spent a lot of time training and building up combat skills for the inevitable war I was destined to be a part of. The only animated visuals I was presented to as a child were videos that were shown to young galran children showing them how to fight and defend themselves in battle. The visuals were quite… entertaining…?” Acxa trailed off upon noticing the looks of horror and pity around the table. They all looked at her as if she were a bruised puppy, which, in a way, she sort of was. 

The only word to describe the atmosphere at the table is awkward. Very awkward. Suddenly, Veronica regretted asking in the first place. Veronica looked away in guilt, feeling responsible for the awkward atmosphere by asking Acxa such a personal question, which isn’t really a personal question, but Acxa’s experience made it too personal to ask. 

To fix the awkward silence, Veronica clapped her hands together, “So, guys…” she said, drawing everyone’s attention away from Acxa, “How do we feel about Disney movies? Lance and I were obsessed with them as children.” That seemed to bring everyone out of the dark mood from before because everyone began speaking all at once, the conversation easily picking up once more.

Veronica tried to pay attention to the whole group discussion, but her eyes kept glancing over at Acxa, concern itching all over her body. Acxa looked even more drawn in than before, not even eating her food anymore. She just stared blankly at her lap, looking embarrassed. She must have felt how awkward the table got after she spoke. 

A few minutes after the conversation picked up again, everyone was talking about who the best Disney princess is, no one paying attention enough to realize Acxa quickly getting up, gathering her stuff silently, and leaving out the door without another word. No one noticed, except Veronica, who was watching her the whole time, and Keith, who was sitting next to her. Neither Veronica nor Keith said anything to stop her, watching her leave out the doors. Keith looked to Veronica, raising an eyebrow in question. Veronica shook her head. All she knew was that Acxa looked upset. Veronica’s body flooded with worry for the girl, a frown plastered on her face. 

“I’ll go check on her,” Veronica told Keith before gathering her things and getting up to leave after the girl. Keith gave a firm nod, leaving Acxa in her hands before Veronica made her way out the door quickly and quietly, without drawing attention to herself. 

Outside of the cafeteria, Veronica had no idea where to look. Acxa was nowhere in sight. Veronica walked through the halls, peering into every room passing her way, looking for a certain head of short blue hair and pale blue skin. After asking around, she followed the direction in which people have told her they saw her run off to, looking like she was in a hurry. Knowing that Acxa ran off like that made Veronica walk faster, desperate to find her. 

Veronica looked outside of the glass doors to the entrance of the Garrison. Her eyes landed on a figure standing outside under a tree. It was Acxa, short blue hair peeking out from under her dark purple hoodie that was pulled over her head. Veronica zipped up her jacket before heading outside, walking towards the tree. Upon whisking through the doors, Veronica felt the light drizzle of rain and fresh mist touch her skin. She wondered why Acxa was outside in the rain, alone. Acxa was standing by the tree, hands in her pockets looking up at the sky, eyes closed as if drinking up the rainy atmosphere. 

“You’re going to catch a cold if you stand out here any longer,” Veronica announced, bringing Acxa’s eyes back to earth. Acxa looked at Veronica, no emotion visible on her face. Veronica was a little surprised to see she wasn’t more surprised to see her. 

“I should have known you would find me,” Acxa said, looking back up at the sky. “You seem to be following my tracks quite often lately.”

Veronica blushed, “W-well…” she stammered, “we’re friends, and I was worried about you just now. You just left without saying anything… are you okay, Acxa?” Veronica moved to stand closer to Acxa, looking for any sign of emotion in her eyes. 

Acxa finally looks down at Veronica, taking in the sight of the Cuban woman. Veronica’s brows were furrowed in concern. Acxa gulped and looked down at her feet, a frown starting to form on her face. Veronica noticed Acxa starting to break from her emotionless shell, sadness evident on her face, but also hesitation. Acxa never really seemed good at expressing her emotions, so Veronica decides to give her friend a little push. 

“I can tell something is bothering you, Acxa. I know you’re not the type of person to just talk about their feelings so freely, so you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, of course... “ Veronica reaches down and takes one of Acxa’s hands in her own, giving it a tight squeeze in a comforting manner, “but it always helps to talk to a friend.” 

Acxa stares down at her hand being held by both of Veronica’s hands. Touch is not something Acxa is accustomed to, but the feeling of Veronica’s warm, soft hands holding Acxa’s cool, clammy hand is a feeling that sends shivers down Acxa’s entire body. She finds herself not wanting to pull away. So she doesn’t. 

Acxa looks back up at Veronica. Veronica is looking back and smiling warmly, ever so patient. Acxa’s mouth starts moving before she could even think. “Do you ever feel… like you don’t belong?” 

Veronica's smile drops slightly, her eyes gaze down. “I think everyone has felt that at some point in their life. Do you want to explain why you feel that way?” Veronica asked, even though she had a hunch what Acxa was going to say. 

Acxa takes a subtle breath before speaking, “Most of the memories I have in my life are of my training and learning about the war I was inevitably supposed to fight in. I never really had a lot of “fun” as you all would call it. I spent most of my time in solitude and rarely interacted with people my own age until I met Zethrid, Ezor, and Lotor a while back. Having friends is still a new concept I have yet to really grasp.” 

Veronica nodded along, indicating she was listening. Veronica allowed Acxa to pause and gather her thoughts before she continued, “I… I want to… have friends… but everyone here thinks I am strange, that I am different. I cannot relate to you all with your childhood memories, and I only scare people away with my experiences. It doesn’t help that I look different as well…” 

The sky grew slightly darker and a light shower started to pour. Neither of the women showed any signs of going back inside for the time being. Veronica gave Acxa a sympathetic look. “I understand what you’re saying, Acxa. Spending most of your life alone has made it difficult for you to socialize with others, and even though Keith is also half galra, you still feel like no one else understands your experiences and who you are as a person. The way everyone reacted to what you said back at the cafeteria probably made you feel hurt, didn’t it?” Acxa bit her lip and looked away, giving Veronica enough confirmation that her statement was true. 

Once Acxa gave a small nod, Veronica gave Acxa’s hand another squeeze, causing Acxa to look back at Veronica who gave Acxa a kind smile. “It’s normal to have a strange reaction to something that is unknown, since it’s something new and something we don’t understand. But rather than thinking your experiences make you weird, I think everyone was mostly just curious! I bet if we all just sat down again together and you told us some of your experiences up in space, we’d be able to learn more about you, and who knows, maybe they’ll think you’re cool. I already think you’re cool!” Veronica claimed, smiling brightly. That brought a small smile to Acxa’s face, which Veronica considered to be a success. 

“I think you are cool as well, Veronica. I would also like to know more about your earthly cultures and understand what you all consider fun.” Acxa nervously rubbed her free hand on her other arm, sheepishly looking away. Veronica finally let go of Acxa’s hand to clap her hands together, gasping in excitement. 

“I know exactly how to show you fun! There is a festival going on in town all weekend starting tonight! Do you want to go, just you and me?” Veronica laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. 

“Who is this festival in honor of?” 

“Huh?” Veronica asked, cocking her head to the side. 

“Back where I’m from, festivals were always held in honor of someone. Usually Lord Zarkon, but I’m sure we aren’t celebrating Zarkon here…” Acxa replied, trailing off in thought. From what she could remember, Zarkon was the alien that Lance and the paladins were always fighting up in space. The fact that Acxa was always led to believe she should be celebrating him her whole life made Veronica pity the girl just slightly. 

“No Acxa, festivals here aren’t always meant to be celebrating one person. Sometimes it’s celebrating a holiday, sometimes an event, sometimes a culture. It’s always different things, but this one is a festival held every year around this time of the season. So, are you down to go then?” Veronica smiled, patiently waiting for Acxa to make her decision. 

Acxa shrugged and gave a firm nod, “alright, I don’t see why not.” If Veronica would have paid more attention, she would have seen the deep red blush on Acxa’s cheeks. 

Veronica squealed and grabbed ahold of Acxa’s elbow. “Yes! Let’s meet here by the entrance at around 7 pm! For now, we should get inside, it’s really starting to rain hard.” As soon as Veronica gave that statement, the skies decided to let all rain loose, and Acxa’s face broke into a grin as Veronica pulled Acxa back inside. 

  
  


Once 7 pm came around, Veronica took one last glance at the mirror, making sure her outfit was in check. She didn’t intentionally try to dress nice. This was only like, her 4th outfit! That’s not a lot, according to Veronica. She settled on wearing something casual, which consisted of a tan cropped jacket with a gray crop top underneath, and some ripped skinny blue jeans. Veronica stared at her reflection in the mirror. The nerves were starting to jump out, feeling like her skin was crawling. Veronica couldn’t help but feel like this whole “hang out” occasion felt like a date. Who takes the girl they like to a festival platonically? 

Veronica rubbed her temples to get rid of the anxiety. It’s been a while since Veronica discovered she has feelings for Acxa. It started with Veronica trying to be her friend, then sitting together at lunch, then sparring together, and things just progressed from there. Veronica knew that Acxa wasn’t very close to anyone at the Garrison. She did interact and get along with some of the others, especially now compared to back then. But Veronica felt confident enough to admit that Acxa probably saw her as one of her only friends. Acxa’s closest friends probably only consisted of Veronica and Keith, and it made Veronica blush and feel warm inside at the thought of her being one of Acxa’s closest friends. 

Veronica always felt like she was good at paying attention to detail and to other people, but when it came to how Acxa felt about Veronica, Veronica was at a loss. She’s not very good at being able to tell when someone returns romantic feelings for her. She knew that Acxa probably was interested in romance. Veronica once walked in on Acxa, Allura, and Romelle watching a romantic comedy together in Allura’s room, and heard them gushing about the couple on screen. Acxa wasn’t gushing, she wasn’t the type of person to gush over things, but Veronica watched as Acxa stared intently at the couple on screen, who were in the middle of confessing to each other. Romelle and Allura were squealing in excitement and making comments about the couple, but Veronica drowned out their comments because all she was focused on was the soft smile on Acxa’s face, the bright screen reflected on her warm eyes. Acxa tilted her head to the side, smiling. She looked really happy about the new couple in the movie. Veronica can bet that she was almost as happy as Romelle and Allura, but Acxa showed her happiness more subtly, she noticed. Veronica slipped away from that scene without being noticed.

Since Veronica knew that Acxa was familiar with romantic tropes and had some interest in romance, she carried a small flame of hope in her heart. Hope that maybe Acxa might feel the same way. That maybe, Acxa will see this trip to the festival as a date too. This is their first time hanging out somewhere outside of the Garrison alone together. They’ve gone to other places together outside before, like to the store to shop for necessities, but they were usually accompanied by their other friends. This time, it was just Acxa and Veronica, alone. Veronica took a deep breath in, and let it out slowly. She grabbed her bag from her bedside table and slid it over her left shoulder before making her way out the door of her room. Veronica got a text from Acxa, saying she was already at the front of the Garrison, so Veronica walked a little faster until she saw Acxa’s figure standing by the doors. As soon as Veronica saw Acxa standing there, her fast walking came to a slow as she took in the sight before her. Acxa was wearing a black leather jacket, a white shirt underneath, and some ripped skinny black jeans. This is the first time Veronica has seen Acxa wearing a leather jacket, and she’ll be honest, it looks absolutely stunning on her. Veronica gulped, masking her nerves with fake confidence. 

“Hey, Acxa! You really know how to put on an outfit together, huh?” Acxa turned around at the sound of her name and Veronica noticed Acxa observing her, which caused Acxa’s whole demeanor to change. Veronica swears she could see a faint blush across Acxa’s face in the dark lobby and assumes it must be from the compliment she received. 

“Oh, this… “ Acxa looked down at her leather jacket, playing with the sleeves, “Nadia gave it to me. She said she doesn’t wear it anymore and handed it over to me. I… wasn’t very sure how I should’ve dressed.” Acxa said softly, looking off to the side. Veronica beamed. 

“You went to Nadia for fashion advice!”

“I- uh… I suppose…” Acxa trailed off. 

Veronica laughed, “That’s alright! Make sure you tell her she did a good job and I was very impressed by you!” Veronica realized a second too late what she said and how it sounded, and by the look on Acxa’s face, she knew Acxa had the same thought. Rather than letting her panic show, Veronica decided to try and brush it off with confidence, so she shot Acxa a nonchalant smirk before the two walked through the Garrison front doors into the cool night breeze. 

As soon as the two women stepped outside, Veronica paused. Oh no. Veronica under her breath as she realized she didn’t even think about how they would get into town without a car or vehicle. She spent all afternoon just thinking about Acxa and the fact that they were going out alone together that she didn’t even  _ think _ about how they would get there. Veronica panicked. 

“Acxa, how are we going t-” Veronica’s eyes grew wide as she heard the jingle of keys and turned to look at her friend, who was smiling and holding up a chain of keys. Veronica gasped, “You have a car? Where is it?” 

Acxa hesitated, “It’s not really- well… follow me.” She began to walk around the side of the Garrison towards the parking lot, and Veronica frowned, confused, but complied. 

Veronica followed Acxa to a corner, where a big red motorcycle was parked. Recognition flooded Veronica’s mind as she immediately recalled seeing the motorcycle before. 

“Wait, Acxa. Isn’t this Keith’s motorcycle?!” Veronica shrieked. 

“It is.” Acxa had the audacity to answer monotonously as if she didn’t just imply she casually has keys to Keith’s motorcycle.

Veronica’s jaw was on the floor. “Are we- are we just,” her arms flailed around nervously, “we’re just going to take Keith’s motorcycle?! Does he know?”

“No, he’s not aware-”

“So we’re going to STEAL IT-”

Acxa grabbed Veronica’s wrists to calm her down, and Veronica paused. “It’s not stealing. He told me where he leaves his keys and permitted me to use his motorcycle when I need to.” Acxa let go of Veronica’s hands and pulled out a helmet from inside the motorcycle. She started putting it on Veronica’s head and clipping down as she spoke, “I don’t usually tell him when I use it, and he doesn’t mind so it shouldn’t be an issue.” As soon as the helmet was attached securely to Veronica’s head, Acxa went to sit on the motorcycle and motioned for Veronica to sit behind her. 

Veronica stared dumbfounded for a few seconds, before silently walking over to sit behind Acxa. Veronica touched her helmet before realizing Acxa wasn’t wearing one. Was there only one helmet? “Hey Acxa, why am I wearing the helmet? Shouldn’t you be-”

“No time. Let’s go. Grab on tight.” Acxa interrupted, turning on the motor. 

“Grab on to wha-” Veronica was cut off by the sudden jerk of the motorcycle and she screamed, jerking backward. On instinct, she threw her arms around Acxa’s slim waist, pressing her body close to her to keep steady. Veronica shut her eyes tightly, swallowing back the fear. This is her first time on a motorcycle and didn’t get the chance to let Acxa know before Acxa went and drove at 50 miles per hour. 

It took a moment until Veronica collected herself to realize she was clinging onto Acxa’s waist as if her life depended on it, and proceeded to loosen her hold. “Sorry, Acxa!” Veronica yelped, sitting up straight, “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before. This is a little scary to me.”

Acxa didn’t take her eyes off the road but quickly glanced behind her to show that she acknowledged Veronica’s words. Acxa was looking forward, so Veronica couldn’t see her expression but she heard Acxa speak, “I’m sorry, I’ll slow down. But, if you’re afraid, you are welcome to… hold on to me.” Acxa nearly whispered that last part, but Veronica still heard her. Veronica’s eyes widely stared at the back of Acxa’s head. Slowly, Veronica’s mouth fell into a gentle smile and her cheeks warmed up as Veronica tightened her hold on Acxa’s waist, pressing her chest closer to Acxa’s back. Veronica couldn’t see when Acxa turned her head slightly to look at her and smiled softly. 

When they finally arrived at the festival, Acxa and Veronica parked the motorcycle at the parking lot by a tree. Acxa had to help Veronica take off her helmet, much to Veronica’s embarrassment, and then the two women began walking towards the direction of the festival. The festival isn’t very big, not as big as other festivals, but it was decently crowded. A DJ was playing loud pop music, there were many food and drink stands, and lots of games. Bright colors were reflected on every corner, the whole scene was sprinkling out positive vibes. 

That’s how Veronica felt. Veronica turned to look at Acxa, who was standing at her left side, but Acxa was frowning, her eyebrows furrowed together as she watched all the people walk by and talk to their friends and families. Veronica nudged Acxa’s side, “Hey, are you alright?” 

Acxa looked away from the scene and met Veronica’s eyes. “I’m not sure if all of this is for me, Veronica.” Acxa looked nervous, wringing her hands together. Veronica bit her lip, trying to think of what to say to Acxa. She didn’t want Acxa to be uncomfortable, but at the same time, she needed this in order to have a slight push towards going out of her comfort zone. However, Veronica knew that wasn’t her choice, its Acxa’s choice. 

“Well,” Veronica began, “I will never force you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing, you know that. But I also think this is a really good experience for you to explore some fun things that people here like to do! I will make it my duty for you to have a good time here! But if you would much rather do something else right now, that’s alright too!” Veronica gave her a confident smile, which only lasted a second until it crumbled down to a sheepish smile, “It actually doesn’t matter to me what we do, I just really want to spend time with you,” Veronica chuckled nervously. 

Acxa’s eyes were slightly widened and she blinked. Veronica feared maybe she crossed a line with that last statement, but soon after Acxa looked away and pursed her lips. “I wish for the same thing. We should move along then,” she said as she began walking towards the entrance of the festival, leaving Veronica a few steps behind before she giggled and caught up towards Acxa. 

“Hey! I see a game we can play! Let’s go over there!” Veronica soon takes the lead as she grabs Acxa’s hand and leads her through the crowd of people. As soon as they are far enough into the festival, they easily fall into the crowd of people. Acxa is walking behind Veronica, both of them having to squeeze between the crowds, but never once separating from their joined hands. 

As soon as the crowd was gone and Veronica and Acxa could see the view again, Veronica found the game she saw from a mile away and stopped in front of it with Acxa beside her, their hands finally dropping. It was a shooting game. There were two fake guns, a blue and a red one, and several targets on the wall. 

Veronica looked at Acxa and grinned. “See? It’s just like the simulations we do together! We just have to use these guns, which will shoot out darts that will stick to the targets, if you’ve got good aim,” Veronica put her hands on her hips, head cocking to the side. “Which shouldn’t be a problem for you. I've seen you, you’ve got skills.” Veronica winked. 

Acxa stared at Veronica, processing what she just said and nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’m assuming this will be a competition then?” Acxa grabbed the red gun and began to aim, turning to flash a smirk at Veronica. So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?

Veronica laid down a $5 bill to the bored-looking man behind the counter, before reaching over for the blue gun and preparing it as well. “If you’re inviting me to the challenge, I wholeheartedly accept, sweetheart.” It took a second for Veronica to realize what she just said, and as soon as she did, she looked to her right in time to see Acxa’s eyebrow raise, but her smile grew wider. A success. 

The man behind the counter prepared the game and gave a quick rundown on what they had to do. There were many targets, and 10 darts inside each gun. Whoever shot the most targets, wins the game. There is no prize at this booth, just the prize of success. That was enough for Acxa and Veronica. After giving a countdown, the man gave a bored, “okay, go” and that was the start of the game. 

One after another, Acxa was shooting the targets at a quick and steady pace. Veronica was taking a different approach, shooting them at a slower pace. But the sound of Acxa hitting every target and not missing a single one at a fast pace had Veronica shouting “how are you so fast?!” 

“I’ve got more experience, remember?” Acxa replied, continuing to hit every target. That’s right. Being in space and fighting in actual combat  _ does  _ give Acxa an advantage. But Veronica decided the pace wasn’t the goal. It was aim. So she kept going at her own pace. 

Veronica was on her last target, having not missed a single one yet. She was so focused on herself, having drowned out all outside noise when suddenly she felt a presence next to her, and a voice practically in her ear muttering, “looks like we might actually tie.” 

Veronica was so startled by the sudden closeness that she let out a yelp, accidentally firing off a shot without aiming. Both girls watched the dart land on the floor, and Veronica whined, “Acxa! You scared me I was about to make it. You did that on purpose!” Veronica pouted, and Acxa stared down at her lips. Veronica watched as Acxa stood there, not making any reaction as she stared down at her. And just like that, without warning, Acxa let out a few giggles behind her hand. 

“I apologize, it was not intentional,” she laughed. Veronica couldn’t breathe. 

Veronica prayed she wasn’t blushing as she let out a breath she was holding and laughed along, reminding herself to remain cool. “It was a pretty good tactic anyway. You are pretty distracting, you know.” Before Acxa could even reply to that, Veronica grabbed her hand again and started dragging her away. “Come on, there’s so much more we need to see!” Acxa followed along, thinking about what Veronica meant by what she said. 

The two women walked around the festival, holding hands and chatting. Veronica was doing most of the chatting, with Acxa occasionally talking about herself as well. During one of those moments when Acxa was talking, Veronica’s mind drifted off to their linked hands. When did this “holding hands” thing between them start? Suddenly Veronica felt very self-aware of their hand-holding and started internally freaking out. She began trying to think of what to do. Letting go of Acxa’s hand so suddenly would be kind of awkward. It might make things more awkward, actually. Acxa doesn’t seem to mind the hand holding. She’s still talking and not paying any mind to it. Oh, wait. She’s talking. Veronica switched her thoughts off and focused back on Acxa, catching up on the conversation. 

Acxa wasn’t blind though. She noticed Veronica looking deep in thought, eyebrows furrowed and biting her lip. When Acxa finished talking and Veronica was looking back at her, Acxa took that chance to ask. “Are you alright, Veronica?” 

Veronica quickly broke off into nervous laughter. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Acxa frowned, “Are you upset about losing the last game? I apologize.” Veronica’s eyes widened. Acxa wasn’t blind. But she wasn’t very perceptive. 

Acxa continued, “how about we look for a game that you are good at? Maybe you'll actually win this time.” If Veronica didn’t spend as much time as she did with Acxa, she would not have noticed the small teasing smile on her face. 

Veronica laughed, “Alright, alright. You’re going to regret saying that, you know!” 

And that's how the girls ended up at a ring toss game. This time, with prizes. 

Upon the shelves, there were rows of stuffed animals of many colors. A certain pink kitten with large bright indigo eyes caught Veronica’s attention, and she decided there that the pink kitten was what she was aiming for. 

This time, Acxa paid for the game. The man behind this counter was much friendlier than the last guy. He explained how the game works, which is simply just the same as the last game where whoever lands the most rings around the bottles wins the game and gets to choose a prize. Acxa and Veronica each got 10 rings. And after an enthusiastic countdown, the game began. 

Acxa didn’t make the first ring. Or the second one. Or the third one, much to her frustration. Meanwhile, Veronica was getting her rings in one after another, going at a slow pace like last time. This was working to her advantage, whereas Acxa began rushing as she kept missing, which wasn’t working out for her. Veronica giggled as she threw the last ring and cheered when she got all 10 rings in a bottle while Acxa only got 4. There appeared to be a clear winner. 

“I can’t believe I won! Acxa what happened?” Veronica laughed while Acxa was pouting.

“‘Ring Toss’ is not something I have trained for.” Acxa sighed. Veronica jumped up and down as she asked the man to hand her the pink kitten. Once the kitten was in her hands, Veronica squealed.

“Acxa look! I’m going to call her Pinky!” Veronica shouted as she pets the top of Pinky’s head. Acxa reached over and also touched Pinky’s fuzz, feeling how soft the plush was. Veronica noticed Acxa looked a little… sad or defeated, as she looked at Pinky. Veronica felt a tug at her heart and felt there was only one thing to do. 

“Hey Acxa, I know you won the last game, and didn’t get a prize for it,” Veronica turned to Acxa and put Pinky in her hands, “so I think it would be an amazing idea if we shared Pinky! You get to have her some days and I’ll have her other days. Joint custody!” Veronica exclaimed. She would have loved to give Pinky to Acxa as a gift, but Veronica knew Acxa would refuse to take Pinky away from her, but sharing Pinky so they both get her? How could Acxa refuse?

And Acxa indeed did not refuse. “That sounds like a plan,” Acxa replied shyly as she looked at Pinky and smiled fondly at her. Veronica watched as Acxa booped Pinky’s nose, and Veronica wanted to cry. Acxa likes cute things, she noticed. Acxa ended up putting Pinky in her small backpack for safekeeping, Pinky’s head sticking out from the bag adorably. 

Veronica suggested they go to the food area and look for refreshments, which is how they ended up in front of a lemonade stand with Veronica practically bouncing in her shoes, her cerulean eyes shining brightly. Acxa watched Veronica’s excitement with an eyebrow raised, Veronica simply responding with, “Mario’s Italian Lemonade has the best lemonade ever! I haven’t had one of their lemonades in so long, Acxa, you’ve  _ got _ to try it!” 

“What is lemonade?” Acxa asked, and Veronica nearly fainted.

“Oh my god! It’s a drink that is a mix of water, lemon, and sugar and it’s amazing! I can’t believe you’ve never had lemonade!” Veronica exclaimed.

Acxa shrugged. “We don’t have these types of drinks where I am from. I suppose I can try one.” Veronica squealed in excitement before moving up to order.

“Two lemonades, please!” Veronica shouted, receiving a quick “coming up” before 2 cups were placed in front of her, one with a red straw and another with a blue straw. Veronica quickly paid and walked back towards Acxa with the drinks. She handed Acxa the cup with the red straw, and Acxa observed the drink with interest. She raised the clear cup to look under it, around it, inside of it, before Veronica stopped her.

Veronica laughed, “it's alright, Acxa, just try it!” Veronica took a sip from her lemonade and Acxa watched as she ascended to the heavens. Acxa sighed before she finally took a sip of the lemonade, and Acxa gasped. Her cheeks grew pink as she continued sipping her drink, a look of happiness on her face that made Veronica chuckle.

“It is sour yet sweet at the same time. Who thought of such a combination?” Acxa asked, bewildered. 

Veronica laughed, “But it’s good, right?”

Acxa nodded, “Thank you for the drink, Veronica.”

Veronica beamed. The two women continued to sip their lemonades happily, when all of a sudden, they heard a familiar male voice.

“Two lemonades, please!” The male voice shouted. Acxa and Veronica looked at each other, recognition on their faces before they quickly turned around and saw the source of the voice. It was Lance, with Keith standing behind him, getting drinks handed to them. They had matching drinks, Lance taking the drink with the blue straw, and Keith taking the drink with the red straw. Veronica and Acxa walked over to them.

“Lance!” Veronica shouted.

“Vero?!” Lance shouted back.

“Keith.” Acxa nodded at him.

“Acxa….” Keith squinted his eyes at her. Acxa blinked.

“Oh my god, what are you guys doing here? I didn’t expect to see you guys!” Veronica beamed.

“Well I just really wanted to come here, and Keith wanted to come too!” Lance exclaimed. 

“You kind of forced me to come with…”

“But you said yes at the end, so that confirms that you technically wanted to come along!”

Keith rolled his eyes, “Fine… but since you guys are here, that means I know where my motorcycle went.” he said, looking pointedly at Acxa. 

Lance looked at the girls suspiciously. “Ahh, so you two stole the samurai’s motorcycle.” he grinned, resting his arm on Keith’s shoulder. 

Veronica gasped, “Huh? Acxaaa you said it was fine!” 

Acxa crossed her arms over her chest. “It is fine. Keith said I could use it whenever I wanted. 

“You know you could have just let me know.”

“You never said I had to let you know.”

“Oh my god, you…” Keith and Acxa began to argue among themselves, Meanwhile, Lance took the chance to lean over towards Veronica, determined to get some answers of his own. 

“So, Vero, what are  _ you  _ guys doing here, hm? On a little date?” Lance wiggles his eyebrows, and Veronica shrieks. 

“No, Lance, we’re not on a date! We’re just here as friends.” Veronica said, emphasizing the ‘friends’ part.

Veronica could tell Lance was not buying it. “Are you sure? You know, when you guys came up to us I saw you two holding hands.”

Oh. There was that. At this point, Veronica stopped paying attention to when they held hands and didn’t even realize she did it when she pulled Acxa along with her towards Lance and Keith. Keith must have seen it too, then. 

“Well, what about you? How am I supposed to believe you guys are here as friends as well, huh?!” Veronica shot back, and Lance looks appalled. 

“Keep your voice down, Vero! Keith doesn’t know yet…”

“Know what? That you liiiike him?”

“Vero…” Lance whined, turning a dark shade of red. “Well, does Acxa know you like  _ her _ ?” 

“Well, I… uh, no…” Veronica stammered, rubbing the back of her neck. 

“I see. So, enjoy your date then, Vero.”

“Lance, I told you WE ARE NOT ON A DATE!” Veronica yelled. That’s when Veronica paled as she realized Keith and Acxa stopped talking and were now looking at the McClain siblings, one of them looking down in embarrassment while the other was wheezing on the spot. 

“Vero you just-” Lance couldn’t finish his sentence as he continued laughing, struggling to catch his breath. Keith eyed the two of them, and then looked at Acxa to find her with a blank expression on her face. Oh boy. This was embarrassing. Veronica’s dignity was saved once a booming male voice was heard over the 4 of them.

“Two lemonades, please!” 

All four heads turned around at the same time to look at the front of the stand and recognized the two men standing at the front. It was Shiro and Adam, the latter holding the two lemonades and handing the red straw lemonade to Shiro. 

Veronica, thankful for a distraction, calls them over. “Hey, Shiro! Adam! Over here!”

Keith, who was sipping on his lemonade, starts to choke as his eyes go wide. “Wait! Don’t call them over here, we-” 

It was too late, as Shiro and Adam approached, Adam shouting back “Hey guys!” while Shiro eyed Keith suspiciously. 

“So that’s where my car went.”

All eyes turned to Keith as Keith just looked back speechless. Keith slowly took another sip of his lemonade as Lance burst, “Keith! You said you got permission from Shiro! You  _ stole _ his car?!”

“Again,” Shiro added. 

Keith rolled his eyes, “I was  _ 12 _ ! That was a long time ago, Shiro!” Adam laughed fondly, having remembered those events occurring. “And anyway, I only took your car because Acxa stole my motorcycle.”

“ _ Borrowed.”  _ both Acxa and Veronica said in unison, smiling at each other afterward. 

“How did you two even get here without the car?” Keith asked. 

“We borrowed a garrison ship,” Shiro replied. 

Lance looked up from his drink. “You mean you  _ stole _ a garrison ship.”

Shiro huffed, “We borrowed it!”

“It’s alright!” Adam interrupted. “As long as we know where our vehicles are, and they’re with people we trust, there’s no harm done,” Adam said, putting his hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

Shiro sighed, looking back at Adam with a smile. “I suppose.”

Adam looked back at the other 4 and flashed a friendly grin, “Hey! Since we’re all here right now, why don’t we get our picture taken together?” 

Everyone seemed to agree, Lance, pulling out his phone and shouting “Let’s use my phone! I’ll send it to all of you!” 

Shiro nodded, “Alright, now let’s just find someone to ask to take our picture and-” 

“Wait! Shiro, you can’t just ask a random stranger these days!” Lance whined, “You don’t know which crazy person might just decide to take off and run with my phone!” 

“Lance, we’ve gone to the depths of the universe, trusted random aliens with our lives, defeated Zarkon, and you’re over here afraid of the smallest chance that someone will run away with your phone?” Keith chuckled, “Unbelievable.”

Lance was about to retort when Acxa spoke up. “Lance has a point.” Everyone turned to look at the girl as she simply shrugged and said, “What I’ve learned from being on Earth is that you can’t take candy from strangers, which I assume implies that you are not to trust any human whom you have had no previous contact with.” 

Everyone was speechless, except for the soft giggling from Veronica. Shiro sighed, “Alright then. What do you suggest we do, Lance?”

That’s how the six of them ended up standing in front of a rock, where Lance set his drink down and leaned his phone against it, setting the timer on his camera. The six pilots were currently working out how to pose. Lance insisted on wanting to crouch down and begged Veronica to pose on the ground with him. Veronica decided she was only agreeing to do so because she wanted Lance to stop whining. Veronica earned a sympathetic look from Keith, both of them know very well how persuasive Lance could be. 

Acxa ended up standing behind Veronica, setting her hands on Veronica’s shoulders. Keith stood behind Lance, crossing his arms over his chest. Shiro was standing to Keith’s left, and Adam stood to Acxa’s right. That was the position they decided on, so once Lance confirmed they were all ready, he ran to the phone to hit the button to start the countdown. 

“This is so stupid,” Keith muttered as they all waited for Lance to return from the phone. 

“I know, but let’s just get this over with,” Veronica muttered back, as Lance came running back, getting into his position. 

The six of them stood there, all making different poses of peace signs, head tilts, or just smiles all around. After a few seconds, Lance stood back up, “Alright! I think it’s done.” Everyone relaxed from their positions as Lance ran to get his phone, Acxa reaching out a hand to help Veronica stand up. 

Just as Veronica got up from the floor, Lance came back chuckling nervously, “Hey guys…” Keith glared, already sensing something was up. Lance continued, “Don’t be mad… I accidentally missed the button.” 

A few civilians turned around as they heard six young adults groaning and complaining, while one of them was apologizing profusely. 

“Go set it up again!” Veronica yelled, “And don’t miss!” 

“Do you even deserve the name Sharpshooter if you missed a single button?” Keith deadpanned. 

“Shiro I’m being bullied!!” Lance shouted, crossing his arms. 

“It’s alright, guys. Lance, go set up the camera again let’s get this over with.” Shiro responded. After Lance walked away, Shiro shook his head, “I’m tired,” he whispered to Keith, who patted his shoulder sympathetically. 

Once the camera was set up, they once again got in position as they saw Lance running back towards his friends. They held the same position as before, for a few seconds, before Lance got up again and ran back for the phone. 

“I feel like I should stay on the floor in case Lance messed up again.” Veronica sighed. 

“That picture had to be fine. Lance couldn’t have made a mistake twice in a row.” Adam reassured her, right before they saw Lance with a guilty look in his eyes.

“Uh, guys…” Lance trailed off.

“You spoke too soon,” Acxa whispered to Adam as Adam held on a fake smile towards Lance. 

Lance lifted his phone to them to show them all posing correctly, except for Lance, who is just a blur at the corner of the picture, appearing to be running back to the group just as the camera went off. 

“You are blurry.” Acxa pointed out. 

“Lance…” Shiro just looked tired. 

“How many seconds did you put for the timer?!” Veronica shouted, already at her limit with Lance.”

“I put 2 seconds... “

“That’s too short, estúpido!” Veronica lightly smacked him upside the head. 

Lance rubbed his head, “I thought I could make it!” 

Keith sighed loud and dramatically, “I’ll just ask someone to take it with my phone.” 

Adam chuckled, “Thank you, Keith.” 

After asking a nice woman to take the picture for them, the six of them decided to go their separate ways again. 

“Adam and I are going to go check out the food and grab something to eat,” Shiro announced. 

“Keith and I are going to check out the indoor arcade! I still need to win 4 more games to catch up to Keith’s wins.” Lance said, determination on his face. 

“You have yet to beat me at any games, Lance.”

“Which is why we are going to the arcade games, dude. I know you totally suck at those.” Lance laughed, wrapping his arm around Keith’s shoulders as Keith shot him a glare. 

“I think Acxa and I are going to get ready to watch the fireworks show!” Veronica stated excitedly. 

Shiro and Adam nodded. “Have fun, and be careful,” Adam said, starting to walk away with Shiro, both of them waving at the group as they walked. 

Lance and Keith also began walking away, both of them shouting back goodbyes. As one last resort of being a piece of poop, Lance shouted back, “Have fun on your date, Vero and Acxa!” Keith pulled Lance by the arm, shutting him up. 

Veronica looked back horrified. “It’s not a date!” she screamed back and heard Lance laughing in the distance. Veronica groaned at her embarrassment. Acxa definitely heard both of the times where Lance said that. Lance really had it coming tomorrow morning. 

Veronica spared a glance at Acxa and noticed her looking away, looking anywhere except at Veronica. Veronica bit her lip, suddenly worried about what Lance just said. Hopefully, things don’t get awkward. 

Veronica once again grabbed Acxa’s hand and spoke softly, “Hey, the fireworks are starting soon. I know of a place that gives a really great view.” 

Acxa nodded, “Let’s go see this place.” 

The walk to the secret location (which really, it’s just a cliff with a magnificent view) was silent. And it wasn’t one of their comfortable silences. It was a heavy, awkward silence where Veronica can tell Acxa had a lot on her mind. Acxa’s gaze was downcast, and her hold on Veronica’s hand was light. Acxa’s eyebrows were furrowed up as if she were confused or deep in thought. Veronica looked away. She tried to think back to the events that occurred that night and thought about when things changed. Acxa seemed happy all night, and suddenly she looks… sad, and confused. 

Once they made it to the cliff with the beautiful view of the desert below, Veronica decides to ask Acxa what was wrong. As soon as Veronica opened her mouth to speak, Acxa beat her to it. 

“Veronica…” Acxa began. Veronica looked up in surprise, not expecting Acxa to be the one to break the silence. Acxa put her arms on top of the fence that was surrounding the cliff, as was looking on ahead. Veronica gulped. 

“Yes, Acxa?” Veronica responded, waiting patiently for Acxa to speak. Acxa isn’t great with expressing her feelings, Veronica understands, so she allows herself to relax next to Acxa on the balcony, and lets Acxa sort her thoughts. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Acxa speaks, “Lance thought… we were on a date. Every time he brought it up, you acted in a very defensive manner and immediately denied that we were on a date.” Veronica’s attention was now 100% focused on Acxa, not knowing where Acxa was going with this. 

Acxa continued, “I am… confused.” Acxa finally turned to look at Veronica, shining indigo eyes looking into worried cerulean eyes, “are… are we not on a date?”

A beat. 

Wait, what?

For once, Veronica was incredibly speechless. “I… you… you thought we were on a date?”

Acxa was very obviously blushing, hands fidgeting, “Festivals are a very common place to go with a date, are they not?”

Veronica stammered, “AH, well, I uh, I suppose… I just.” Veronica took a deep breath, recollecting herself, before continuing, “Originally, I asked you to come to the festival with me as friends. I just wanted to get you out of the Garrison to come and explore life outside with me. But before I saw you tonight, and even afterward, I did begin to contemplate how much this felt like a date and suddenly I didn’t know if this was a date or not,” Veronica finished off, laughing in a way that sounded like she was internally crying. What a mess. 

Getting rid of the embarrassment, Veronica suddenly came to a conclusion. “Wait a minute!!” she shouted, startling Acxa. “So you thought this was a date from the very beginning? Meaning… you said yes while thinking this was a date? You agreed? To go on a “date” with me?!” Veronica spluttered. 

Acxa, surprisingly, spluttered back, “I-I… is… is that alright?” she stuttered, trying and failing to hide her blushing cheeks with her hands. Veronica thought it was the most precious thing in the world. 

Veronica started laughing, the heaviness from before disappearing completely. “Of course! I would love to think of this as a date.” Veronica couldn’t keep the sly grin off her face. “So, Acxa… does this mean you liiiike me?” She wiggled her eyebrows. 

Acxa rubbed the back of her neck, “I-in what way?” she asked. 

It was Veronica’s turn to fidget with her hands, “You know, like… do you  _ like  _ like me…?” 

Acxa nodded. “Yes. I have romantic feelings for you, Veronica.”

Woah. Veronica could not tell you why, but the boldness of those words left her a flustered mess. Veronica smiled sweetly, taking Acxa’s hands and intertwining them with hers. “I like you too, Acxa. I have for a long time now.” Veronica couldn’t help herself. She flung herself at Acxa, standing on the tip of her toes to reach her arms around Acxa’s neck, hugging her tightly. Veronica giggled into Acxa’s neck when she felt Acxa’s arms around her waist, returning the hug. 

Veronica felt when Acxa’s hands left her waist and landed on the back of her neck. At the change of position, Veronica pulled away to look at Acxa, and as soon as she did, Acxa gave her no time to prepare as Veronica was being pulled into a quick and soft kiss.

_ Acxa can be pretty bold when she wants to be, _ Veronica noted in her head as she kissed her back. It was a soft, yet strong kiss, just like the woman she was holding, just like Veronica imagined it would be. After a few seconds of kissing, in the distance, an explosion was heard. Acxa and Veronica flinched, pulling away and looking towards the source of the explosion.

It was a bright red and blue firework, followed by a series of smaller colorful fireworks, illuminating the sky, shadows dancing on their skin. Acxa looked up at the sky in awe. 

“Fireworks are so beautiful…” she marveled, and Veronica’s heart jumped watching Acxa look at the sky. 

“Suddenly I am more interested in the girl next to me than the actual fireworks,” Veronica fonded. She watched as Acxa turned to look back at Veronica and laughed softly in her hand. Veronica grinned. Making Acxa smile or laugh was officially Veronica’s new hobby, she thought as she leaned in and initiated their second kiss. 

After the quick fireworks show, Veronica and Acxa walked hand in hand back to the food area, where someone was selling cotton candy. There was a group of people waiting for the cotton candy, so Veronica asked Acxa to wait away from the crowd. “Wait for me here, I’ll be back with the cotton candy, okay?”

“Of course,” Acxa replied, watching her girlfriend walk away. 

Finally left alone with her thoughts, Acxa took a moment to process everything. She couldn’t believe she actually confessed to Veronica. All her life, Acxa never felt like love was an option for her. She doesn't have a lot of memories of family or parental love, so she didn’t even consider romantic love being part of her life. After watching Ezor and Zethrid fall in love, Acxa’s views changed. Ezor and Zethrid grew up with a similar backstory to Acxa. If those two were able to fall in love, why couldn’t Acxa? 

After living on Earth, and watching more people fall in love, such as Shiro and Adam, with the addition of Hunk and Shay, the idea of falling in love seemed more pleasant. And after spending time on Earth, and meeting many different people, one young woman who never allowed Acxa to feel lonely captivated her heart. 

A soft voice brought Acxa out of her thoughts. It was a girl with wild pink hair, green eyes, and a red and black flannel. The girl was wringing her hands together as she spoke to Acxa, “Hi, uh, I just happened to see you and I just wanted to say I really like your style!” 

Acxa stared back blankly, not understanding. “Uh, thank y-” she began, but was cut off by an arm snaking around her shoulders. It was Veronica, pushing a stick of cotton candy into Acxa’s hands as she used her free hand to pull Acxa close. 

“Hey! I like her style too!” Veronica replied, smiling in a way that didn’t look all too friendly. 

The pink-haired girl’s eyes grew wide as she spluttered, “Oh no! I had no idea, I apologize, I’ll just…” the girl didn’t finish her sentence as she walked away in shame. Acxa watched her walk away, and looked back at Veronica, who was also watching the girl worriedly. 

“Maybe I was a little harsh…” Veronica mumbled to herself. 

“What just happened…?” Acxa asked. 

Veronica laughed it off, “Don’t worry about it! Hey, should we head back to the Garrison? I think it’s getting pretty late.” 

Acxa looked at her phone. It was past 10 pm, getting closer to curfew time. Acxa smirked, “I’ll race you to the motorcycle,” she said, taking off ahead of Veronica. 

Veronica screeched, “Acxa?! You got a head start, it won’t count!” Veronica screamed as she ran after Acxa. Both girls were laughing freely, not caring that people were watching these two women running with cotton candy in their hands. The world was invisible, all that mattered to them was Acxa and Veronica, Veronica and Acxa, together… and Pinky, coming along for the ride. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3 I'm plugging in my twitter just because. Come and talk to me @redandblueskies


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